Legend: BTD – Born Today OTD – On This Day
| Date | Artist/Group | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTD Jan20,1889 | Lead belly | #BTD Jan20,1889 #Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) RIP twelve-string guitarist, songwriter and played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, accordion. 1988 inducted into the @rockhall of Fame. Wrote many songs such as Goodnight Irene, The Rock Island Line and The Midnight Special | |
| BTD Jan20,1924 | Slim Whitman | #BTD Jan20,1924 #SlimWhitman (Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr) RIP singer, songwriter 1952 US Country #2, US #9 & UK #7 "Indian Love Call", 1955 US Country #4 & UK #1 "Rose Marie", 1977 UK #1 album "Red River Valley", +21 other US Country Top40 singles | |
| BTD Jan20,1942 | William Powell | #BTD Jan20,1942 #WilliamPowell RIP singer with The O'Jays 1973 US #1, R&B #1 & UK #9 "Love Train", +8 US, 9 UK and 48 R&B Top40 singles with 10 more R&B #1s (some after Powell had past) | |
| BTD Jan20,1943 | Rick Evans | #BTD Jan20,1943 #RickEvans singer of the duo #ZagerandEvans 1969 US & UK #1 single "In The Year 2525" | |
| BTD Jan20,1945 | Eric Stewart | #BTD Jan20,1945 #EricStewart guitarist, singer, songwriter The #Mindbenders 1963-1968; 1966 UK #2 Groovy Kind Of Love & #Hotlegs that became #10cc 1972 to 1995; 1973 UK #1 Rubber Bullets, 1975 UK #1 & US #2 I'm Not In Love, +12 UK Top40s; co-owned Strawberry Studios in Stockport | |
| BTD Jan20,1947 | George Grantham | #BTD Jan20,1947 #GeorgeGrantham drummer, part of original #Poco line up. Remained a member of various line-ups through 1977 & 10 studio LPs | |
| BTD Jan20,1948 | Mel Pritchard | #BTD Jan20,1948 #MelPritchard drummer RIP Barclay James Harvest #BarclayJamesHarvest 8 UK Top40 albums from 1974-87 | |
| BTD Jan20,1952 | Ian Hill | #BTD Jan20,1952 #IanHill bass guitarist #JudasPriest 1980 UK #12 single "Living After Midnight", 1980 UK #4 album "British Steel" | |
| BTD Jan20,1952 | Paul Stanley | #BTD Jan20,1952 #PaulStanley (Stanley Bert Eisen) guitarist, singer, portrays the The Starchild character for #Kiss 1974 US #5 "On And On", 1975 US #12 "Rock and Roll All Nite", 1976 US #7 "Beth", +6 Top40s. 2014 inducted into @rockhall of fame with @kiss #HBday @PaulStanleyLive | |
| OTD Jan20,1956 | Tennessee Ernie Ford | #OTD Jan20,1956 Tennessee #ErnieFord starts a 4wk run at #1 on UK singles chart with his version of "Sixteen Tons" written by #MerleTravis about a coal miner and based on life in mines in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky | |
| OTD Jan20,1962 | Chubby Checker | #OTD Jan20,1962 #ChubbyChecker is still at #1 on the @billboard Hot100 singles chart with "The Twist" for the last week of a 2wk run in 1962 This is #ChubbyChecker's 2nd stint at #1, the 1st time was Sep25,1960 for 1 week | |
| OTD Jan20,1964 | Beatles | #OTD Jan20,1964 The #Beatles album "Meet the Beatles!" is released. 1st #Beatles album released in the US on the @CapitolRecords label in mono & stereo. The Beatles US debut album was released by #VeeJay Records of Chicago with "Introducing ... The Beatles" on Jan10,1964 | |
| OTD Jan20,1965 | Alan Freed | #OTD Jan20,1965 DJ #AlanFreed dies at the age of 42. Considered to be the father of rock n roll. His career and probably his life destroyed by payola scandal in early 1960s | |
| OTD Jan20,1966 | Spencer Davis Group | #OTD Jan20,1966 The #SpencerDavis Group is at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Keep On Running" written and 1st recorded by #JackieEdwards. #ChrisBlackwell produced both recordings, trying to establish his #Island records label in the UK and was managing the Spencer Davis Group | |
| OTD Jan20,1967 | EMI tape sheet, Geoff Emerick | #OTD Jan20,1967 #EMI tape sheet #GeorgeMartin, says "No we can't afford a 90-piece orchestra" So #RingoStarr says let's have a 45-piece twice. Everyone sniggered and smiled. But that's what they did. The #Beatles "A Day In The Life" image from #GeoffEmerick #AudioEngineer | |
| OTD Jan20,1967 | Monkees | #OTD Jan20,1967 The #Monkees TV show plays for the 1st time in the UK. Story; Follow four young men trying to make a name as a rock 'n' roll band called @TheMonkees | |
| OTD Jan20,1968 | John Fred & His Playboy Band | #OTD Jan20,1968 #JohnFred & His Playboy Band are on a 2wk run #1 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles Chart with "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" written and produced by #JohnFredGourrier and #AndrewBernard. The single is a play on the #Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with | |
| OTD Jan20,1968 | Brunel University Students Union | #OTD Jan20,1968 The #Brunel University Students Union presents #FleetwoodMac, The #Move, Crazy World Of #ArthurBrown and more at the Roundhouse Chalk Farm in London @Bruneluni @fleetwoodmac | |
| OTD Jan20,1969 | Led Zeppelin | #OTD Jan20,1969 #LedZeppelin plays at the Wheaton Youth Center to only 55 fans? Wheaton, Md. is a town with a population under 50k near Washington DC. @ledzeppelin's road manager #RichardCole says he has no memory of the gig. This is the same night #RichardNixon's inaugural | |
| OTD Jan20,1969 | Small Faces | #OTD Jan20,1969 from Commercial Entertainments quoted prices on all acts such as #SmallFaces £450, #Tremeloes £375, #MoodyBlues £350, #PinkFloyd £250, The #Troggs £200, #DeepPurple £125 and more ... I trust you will find some groups of interest | |
| OTD Jan20,1972 | Badfinger | #OTD Jan20,1972 #Badfinger starts a 2wk run at #10 & peaks at that spot on the UK Singles Chart with "Day After Day" written by #PeteHam and produced by #GeorgeHarrison. The song will reach #4 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles chart on Feb5,1972 | |
| OTD Jan20,1973 | Carly Simon | #OTD Jan20,1973 #CarlySimon is still at #1 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles Chart with "You're So Vain" The @CarlySimonHQ's last week of a 3wk run at #1 | |
| OTD Jan20,1979 | Chic | #OTD Jan20,1979 #Chic is back to #1 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles Chart with "Le Freak" for an additional 3wks. #Chic was already at #1 in 1978 for 3wks. Eventually they will have 6 total weeks at #1 | |
| OTD Jan20,1980 | Pretenders | #OTD Jan20,1980 The #Pretenders are still at #1 on the UK Singles Chart with "Brass In Pocket" and their self-titled LP "The Pretenders" is #1 on the UK Albums Chart for the 2nd week of a 4wk run at #1 | |
| OTD Jan20,1982 | Ozzy Osbourne | #OTD Jan20,1982 #OzzyOsbourne has a concert in Des Moines, Iowa. Ozzy tries to bite a rubber bats head but it turns out to be real bat. He will go to the hospital for rabi shots @OzzyOsbourne | |
| OTD Jan20,1983 | Def Leppard | #OTD Jan20,1983 #DefLeppard releases their 3rd studio album "Pyromania" @DefLeppard will sell over 10M copies. Def Leppard personnel: #JoeElliott lead vocals; featuring new guitarist #PhilCollen; #SteveClark guitar; #RickSavage bass; #RickAllen drums; #PeteWillis rhythm guitar | |
| OTD Jan20,1985 | Foreigner | #OTD Jan20,1985 #Foreigner is still at #1 on the UK singles chart with "I Want To Know What Love Is" for the 2nd week of a 3wk run. The Foreigner single would become a #1 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles chart on Feb2,1985 @ForeignerMusic | |
| OTD Jan20,1988 | Rock Hall of Fame | #OTD Jan20,1988 #RockHall of Fame Inductees are: The #Beatles, The #BeachBoys, The #Drifters, #BobDylan, The #Supremes, #WoodyGuthrie, #LeadBelly, #LesPaul, #BerryGordy @rockhall | |
| OTD Jan20,1988 | Beatles | #OTD Jan20,1988 The #Beatles are inducted into the @rock_hall Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. #PaulMcCartney is absent. They are the 1st non-US group in the hall | |
| OTD Jan20,1990 | Michael Bolton | #OTD Jan20,1990 #MichaelBolton starts a 3wk run at #1 on the @billboard Hot100 Singles Chart with "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" written by #DougJames and Michael Bolton @mbsings | |
| OTD Jan20,2000 | Ray Jones | #OTD Jan20,2000 #RayJones bass guitarist #BillyJKramer with The #Dakotas dies at the age of 70. #JohnLennon gave the group “Do You Want to Know a Secret” recording it with producer #GeorgeMartin peaking at #2 in the UK. After a row with #BrianEpstein Jones left the group July1964 | |
| OTD Jan20,2002 | George Harrison | #OTD Jan20,2002 #GeorgeHarrison jumps straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart with the posthumous re-release of "My Sweet Lord" The single was a #1 on Jan2,1971 for 3wks on the US Top40 Singles chart @GeorgeHarrison | |
| OTD Jan20,2018 | Jim Rodford | #OTD Jan20,2018 #JimRodford RIP dies at the age of 76; guitarist, founding member of #Argent from 1969-1976; bass guitarist for the #Kinks from 1978-1997; 2004 Jim joined the reunited #Zombies. Also a member of the Swinging Blue Jeans and the Kast Off Kinks |